


Blind Dating in the Forbidden Forest

by CanadianSlytherin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blind Date, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Hogwarts Forbidden Forest, Party, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29975223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanadianSlytherin/pseuds/CanadianSlytherin
Summary: Prompt: The two of you are best friends in school. You ask him to fix you with some of his single friends. He secretly likes you and decides to hook you up with friends he knows wont work out. During the last disastrous date, you go on, your date reveals the plan to you. At first, you are angry, but you realize the lengths your best friend is willing to go through and you decide to try going out with him.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Original Female Character(s), Hermione Granger/Harry Potter/Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Katie Bell/Original Female Character(s), Ron Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Seamus Finnigan/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	Blind Dating in the Forbidden Forest

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Dani asked while carefully walking through the roots of the trees of the forbidden forest. She blew her too long blonde bangs out of her eyes to better see the dark ground.

“You’ll be fine. Harry has your date waiting for you.” Hermione reassured her. 

“But what if I don’t like them? What if it’s a total disaster?”

“I planned for that, I got Harry to have another two people on standby.”

Dani resigned to focusing on not tripping as they made their way deep into the forest towards the bumping bass. Soon, the blinking lights of the DJ came through the foliage and the smell of sweaty teens and butterbeer hit Dani’s nostrils as the two friends emerged into the party. Looking around they spotted Harry by the punch on the other side of the party. She watched Hermione’s book character costume get lost in the crowd as she went to go say hi to some DA friends. Shimmying through the crowd of dancers, Dani made her way over to Harry, dressed as a 70’s hippie, who greeted her with a red solo cup full of butterbeer.

“So, Hermione talked you into setting me up with some friends?” Dani asked with a smirk. 

Hermione had come up with the idea after Danielle’s last disastrous fling. She and Ernie McMillan had flirted at the back-to-school banger that Ravenclaw threw. The two had been stuck together like bunnies for weeks until she caught him snogging Mandy Brocklehurst in the prefect’s bathroom. After going through her grief of that relationship, Hermione had proposed the great idea of getting Harry to set her up with a friend and why not trust her oldest friend?

Dani and Harry had met back at Privet Drive. He was the boy down the street who had a spark in him, and she was an only child looking for a friend. The two of them would hang out every day over the summer and went to the same primary school. When her Hogwarts letters came, Harry was the first person she told and the two were so excited for their journey at school together. Though once at school, Dani was sorted into Hufflepuff and Harry into Gryffindor. Luckily, the two stayed strong and now they found themselves thick as thieves despite the housing difference. 

Unbeknownst to her, it was all thanks to the crush he had on her since they had met. The nice girl down the street had approached him and asked him to be her friend. At first, he was glad to have a friend but as they grew up, he noticed how her hair looked like spun gold in the sunlight and how her eyes were like the sweetest hot chocolate. She brought happiness into his life at the darkest of times, like the north star guiding him home. She was not a person; she was a feeling. He knew no matter where they went in life, he would do anything for her and could always find their way back to each other. He watched as she got involved with the wrong people over and over, breaking her heart each time. He secretly wished she would realize how much he liked her and that he would be so good to her, but he also knew that they were friends and he had to respect her. 

It was only when Hermione came up with the plan to get the two to stop moping about their respective issues that the party was planned. Hermione’s plan was for Harry to set Dani up with some friends. He picked friends that could be good matches but hoped that at the end of the night, she would be free, and he would finally ask her out. He knew it was selfish, but he wanted a fair chance to ask out his dream girl. 

“Yeah, I’ve got a few people for you to meet.” Harry smiled back and waved someone over. “This is Katie Bell! She’s on the quidditch team with me.”

“So, your Harry’s friend he wanted me to meet.” Katie greeted her, her eyes grazing over Dani’s costume. “You’re a fairy?”

“Tinkerbell actually. She’s from an old Disney movie.” Dani told her as Harry gave her a polite nod and made his way into the dance floor. “And you’re a pirate.”

“Yeah! Over the summer I spent a week at Alicia’s, and we watched this film, Pirates of Penance and so we all dressed up like pirates.” Katie replied enthusiastically.

“You mean Pirates of Penzance? I rented that film this summer too!” Dani corrected her.

“No, it’s penance.” Katie shook her head but continued. “But anyway, the Muggle world is so cool. Like they send their letters through these little metal boxes and they take forever to reach their destination, and they have little restaurants in cars on the side of the street.”

“Yeah! I’m actually muggle born so I totally understand what you mean. But I remember when I fist came into the wizarding world, I found it so fascinating. But I never understood why there weren’t more sports. Like we have quidditch which is alright, but muggles have rugby and football and rowing and tennis.”

“But why have more sports if quidditch is all we need? If we had more sports, the school would have to reallocate money from quidditch to those other teams and then the stadium would go in shambles and we wouldn’t be able to buy brooms for the students who can’t afford them or new uniforms.”

“But if we had more sports, then more students would be able to get involved. Only, what, 28 students play quidditch each year. If we had more sports, that would mean students who didn’t make the team would have other options. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“No. Having more sports is unnecessary and those who don’t make the team can just try out the next year like the rest of us.” Katie disagreed in a brassy tone. “Well, I’m going to hang out with my friends. Goodbye.”

“How did Harry ever think we would be a good match?” Dani sighed under her breath and went to find Harry.

Harry was deep in the mosh pit of students, dancing with a few of his roommates. The two friends locked eyes and he gestured for her to come in and dance for a bit, so she did. The music of The Weird Sisters boomed through the speakers while the lights changed colours and flashed to the beat. A person could get lost in the crowd for hours if possible. But Harry still had another friend to match with her. They tried to talk over the music but rather resorted to gestures. Harry took her by the shoulders and gently spun her and pointed to a short, sandy haired man dressed up as a devil dancing frantically on the edge of the crowd. She shot him a concerned look but with a reassuring push, she made her way over to him.

“Hi, Harry said that we should meet?” Dani asked hesitantly, avoiding his flailing limbs.

“Oh, yeah,” He replied, out of breath. “Want to grab a butterbeer?”

“Sure.” She agreed, starting to feel a bit better about Harry’s choice this time around. The two of them made their way over to the refreshment table and he poured them both a cup. They stood awkwardly for a beat, not sure where to start. “So, what classes are you taking?”

“Oh, just the usuals. Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Divination, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration and Ancient Runes. What about you?” Seamus asked nonchalantly.

“Oh well, I want to be a healer so I’m taking Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I’m also taking Arithmancy for fun. Do you have any plans for after school?” Dani inquired. Something she had told Harry over and over after every breakup that one thing that she liked in each guy was their ambition. She wanted to date someone who knew where they would be in 5 years, 10 even.

“I like to just go where the wind takes me. My dad owns a pub back in Ireland so maybe I’ll work there a bit after school. Save some money and travel, maybe get some Muggle schooling. It’s cool you want to be a healer; you could help me regrow my eyebrows back every time I singe them off.” He replied honestly, laughing at his own joke. She laughed with him unenthusiastically and glanced over to Harry, giving him the biggest SOS look she could give him. 

“I could help with that; do you really do that that often.” She asked, only to get another laugh out of him.

“You’re funny. Why don’t we go hit the dancefloor together?” He smirked flirtatiously, his arm wrapping around her waist.

“There you are! Hermione needs your help.” Harry ran over, taking her out of Seamus’s grasp.

“Well mate we were about to go dance.” Seamus prodded, pulling Dani back into his grasp.

“Well, if Hermione needs my help, I should go find her. Maybe we can dance another time?” Dani suggested, not planning on fulfilling her promise.

Seamus huffed and walked into the mosh pit, throwing himself at any available girl. Without saying anything, Harry wrapped his friend in an apologetic hug. There was no need for any explanation but when Dani looked up at him with those big, dark brown eyes, he knew she needed one more date. He looked around, trying to spot anyone he knew but everyone was paired off. Well, everyone except Ron. With a quick wave, Ron made his way over to the two embracing friends with a worried look.

“Dani, meet your next date.” Harry said hesitantly. His blonde and redheaded friend exchanged confused looks before turning back to Harry. “Just trust me! Have a chat and see what happens.”

Harry released Dani and made his way over to the lonely Hermione who Ron had just abandoned. Harry’s two friends stood in silence, trying to figure out why Harry had paired the two of them up. Dani considered maybe it was because the two shared him as a common friend or that they were both good at wizard chess. She knew she should trust Harry but Ron? Really?

“So, how about that weather?” Ron prompted her awkwardly.

“You know, I really trusted Harry and Hermione on this.” Dani said defeatedly, ignoring Ron’s question. “I thought he would match me with someone who would get me. I’ve talked to him about everything I want in a partner, so why did he suggest Katie Bell and Seamus?” 

“Yeah, Seamus was probably a bad choice.” Ron chuckled, taking a sip of his drink. “But what are you looking for in a partner?”

“Well, I want someone who I can have thoughtful conversations with, someone who has ambition, who’s honest and funny and mature.” Dani listed off, trying to remember everything she’s told Harry in the past. “But what about you? What do you want in a partner?”

“Well, she has to be intelligent, kind, passionate. She’s funny but she doesn’t realize it and she puts up with me. She has darker hair, and I could get lost in her eyes for hours.” Ron started and slowly got lost in describing his dream girl.

“That sounds an awful lot like Hermione.” Dani teased. 

“What!” Ron blurts defensively. His arm lurching and spilling his drink all over his Chudley Cannons costume and Dani’s Tinkerbell costume. “Bloody hell I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.” Dani replied, grabbing a handful of napkins to dry herself off.

The two tried to fix her costume, drying it and attempting to get the stains out. Both muttering under their breath, complaining about their respective issues. It wasn’t until Dani paused that she realized what Ron was saying.

“Harry really needs to grow some and just ask Dani out already.” He whispered frustrated with the situation. “If he just had, maybe I wouldn’t have just spilled my whole bloody drink.”

“Harry wants to ask me out?” Dani asked, completely gobsmacked.

“What? No!” Ron stuttered, failing to cover his tracks. “Look, Dani. Don’t say I told you anything, but Harry has liked you for a while, but he didn’t want to ruin your relationship. He loves being friends with you, but he loves you more. Just hear him out maybe?”

“I think I need a minute.” Dani replied and walked into the forest, trying to find some silence. 

She took a seat on a tree stump and pondered what Ron had just told her. She would be lying if she never though of Harry like that. He was basically everything she wanted, but obviously had enough going on in his life that she never really thought of pursuing him. He was always there when she needed him and of course, was very attractive. His hair was always a little messy but somehow looked perfect that way. His green eyes reminded her of spring, all those late afternoon trips to the park to play in the grass. They reminded her of freedom, and how she found peace in his presence. He was someone she could always find in a could just from his laugh, so roaring and infectious. He was like home cooked meals and fresh ink on new parchment. 

Maybe if she gave him a chance, things would be fine. But he didn’t need to set her up with people he knew wouldn’t work out just to get a shot with her. Torn over what to do with this whole situation, she thought what would Hermione do? So, she stood up, using that idea to fuel her confidence and made her way to find Harry. She made her way through the crowd, storming over to the tall, dark haired boy who was telling a story to a group of students, wildly gesturing along. Without saying anything, she grabbed his arm and dragged him away, not caring if he stumbled over the uneven terrain. 

“What the bloody hell?” Harry asked loudly.

“I should be asking you the same thing! Ron told me everything! How you set me up with people who you knew wouldn’t work just so you had a chance to ask me out.” Dani confronted him bluntly, her confusion over her feelings bubbling over.

“He what? Bloody Ron can’t tell him anything.” He asked shocked, cursing Ron. “Look Dani, I can explain.”

“How are you going to do that.” She interrupts him, shaking her head. “Did you need time to find your balls? Or were you going to use my defeat to manipulate me? Seriously Harry, what where you thinking?”

“I was thinking wrong, I’m sorry. I admit it was a bad idea, but I was scared! I was worried if I asked you to the party and you turned me down that it would affect us. Because that’s what I put first, us, every time.”

“Well, you could’ve just asked me! I would’ve said yes Harry! It’s always been you, every time.”

“Really?” Harry asked softly, taking a small step towards the blonde. It wasn’t noticeable but just enough for them to be barely touching.

“Really.” Dani replied breathlessly. 

Harry’s eyes flit down to her lips, parted slightly as she released a deep breath. His gaze lasted only a beat but when he went to meet her eyes, they were staring so deeply into his own. Begging almost, like she needed his like it was the last glass of water on earth. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, trying to bound out and join hers. He knew if he went through with what his heart, he would never be able turn back, the doors of that chapter of their relationship forever sealed. So, he carefully caressed her cheek, her skin soft and electrifying. He brought their faces so close he could feel her hot breath skimming against his face.

At first the kiss was soft, hesitant almost. Dani pulled away, looking up into his emerald green eyes for confirmation before diving back in. A second kiss. Warmer and more searching than the last. Her hands slid up his chest before resting her hands in the short hairs on the back of his head, pulling him deeper. The kiss felt like the first flower in spring blossoming, fresh and new and incarnate. The kiss drew stronger, dizzying even to the point that she was wondering if the Firewhiskey was finally kicking in. But it was the electricity between the two blurring out the rest of the world, as if it were only them in the entire world. His tongue swept gently across her lips only to find her parted lips as permission. The two swirled together like tea and cream, swimming in the decadence of their exploding love. Their souls finally open to each other, tasting and feeling every colour in existence. 

Later, when asked how she felt about the kiss and incipient relationship, there were no words to describe how she felt. Only that everything in the world finally felt right.


End file.
